Medical vaporizer with precision controlled vapor composition

The present application takes priority from Provisional App. No. 63/322,959, filed Mar. 23, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates generally to medical inhalers, and more specifically to inhalers and vaporizers that enable a user to precisely control vapor composition.

Consumers utilize electronic vapor cigarettes, pipes, and modified vapor devices to enjoy what is commonly known as “vaping.” Electronic vapor devices are characterized by vaporizing a medium to be inhaled. Vaporizable media (e.g., fluid) can be supplied by one or more replaceable cartridges. However, there are many unknowns since the cartridge is analogous to the proverbial black box. There is no way to know the contents of the cartridge. There is no way to measure what is left in the cartridges. And there is no real time feedback of the effect of the vaporizable media on users. These ‘unknowns’ or uncertainties are an albatross around the neck of the electronic vapor device industry, preventing further acceptance and use of this otherwise safe and enjoyable hobby for recreational users or a medicinal delivery system that allow medicinal cannabinoid formulation to be absorbed directly into the blood stream.

Currently, accurate dosing of medical cannabis compounds (THC, CBD etc.) is only possible via oral administration in either oil or pill form. Since THC has a different effect and application from CBD, it is important to control the proportions of these compounds to treat various medical conditions. While it is possible to do so via oral administration, some users prefer to inhale their cannabis compounds, since the effect is produced immediately (as opposed to 45-90 minutes for oral administration) and the acute effects last only for 2-5 hours, as opposed to 6 or more hours for oral administration.

Currently available vaporizers used for cannabis do not have an accurate enough control over the temperature at which the cannabis is vaporized, or the exact composition of the vaporizable material in the cartridge. Cannabis contains many therapeutically active compounds, such as THC, CBD, and more than 150 types of terpenes. Each of those compounds has a different boiling point. If the temperature of vaporization is set too high, some of the terpenes may burn, affecting vapor composition and therapeutic effect. Vaping at a lower temperature will give the user more terpenes; vaping at a higher temperature will give the user more vapor and a more intense effect. Furthermore, the THC to CBD ratio may also be affected by temperature. The prior art does not currently allow a way to dynamically adjust vapor composition during a vaping session in order to exercise a precise control over its effect.

Furthermore, currently available vaporizers often do not provide the user with enough transparency over exactly what the vaporizer is doing. While some of the prior art is connected to apps, most users do not download them-only 25% of all users download such apps, and only 5-10% of them use them.

Moreover, currently available vaporizers do not provide the user with any feedback over what the vapor is doing in their body. A medical cannabis user may want to monitor their heart rate, blood pressure, or other medical parameters, and have the composition of the cannabis they are consuming depend on those medical parameters.

A need exists for a vaporizer that enables a user to have a more precise control over vapor composition, more transparency into exactly what they are consuming, and feedback over what the vapor is doing in their body.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vaporizer that adjusts heating temperature of a liquid substance in order to produce vapor of varying compositions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vaporizer that enables a user to select a precise dosage of each active compound or a precise proportion of different vaporizable materials without the need for an external app.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vaporizer with an efficient cooling system for the vapor that controls the temperature in a precise way.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vaporizer that receives data from wearable devices and adjusts vapor dosages depending on this data.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vaporizer with a mouthpiece assembly that provides an efficient air flow for terpene-containing vapor without sacrificing flavor.

In an aspect of the present invention, a vaporizer is provided, comprising a cartridge with a liquid substance to be vaporized. The liquid substance comprises at least two vaporizable compounds with different boiling points. The vaporizer also comprises a heating unit that heats the cartridge to vaporize the liquid substance. In an aspect of the present invention, the heating unit heats the liquid substance to at least two different temperatures to result in at least two different vapor compositions that are then delivered to a user via a mouthpiece, wherein the percentage of at least one of the vaporizable compounds is different between the two different vapor compositions. The temperature change can be abrupt or gradual over a particular period of time.

In an aspect of the present invention, the vaporizer comprises a second cartridge containing a second liquid substance, and a second heating unit, wherein each cartridge and each heating unit are controlled independently to result in varying vapor compositions. The vapor coming from each cartridge is then mixed together to create a mixture. The temperature of at least one of the heating units is then changed to change the composition of the mixture.

In an aspect of the present invention, the liquid substance comprises a third compound, wherein the boiling point of the third compound is different from the boiling points of the first and second compound.

In an aspect of the present invention, the vaporizer communicates wirelessly with a wearable device that measures a particular physiological parameter. The vaporizer then can change vapor composition or stop vapor delivery altogether when the physiological parameter reaches a certain predetermined value.

In an aspect of the present invention, the vaporizer is calibrated to determine a correlation between a temperature of the heating unit and vapor composition; this can be performed by gas chromatography or mass spectrometry. The correlation may then be stored in memory.

In an aspect of the present invention, before delivering a vapor to the user, it is mixed with a predetermined amount of ambient air to obtain a gas mixture at approximately 30° C. The mixing step may involve calibrating the vaporizer by either measuring a user's inhalation volume or calculating a user's inhalation volume from the user's biometric parameters. The mixing step may also include calculating a flow rate for ambient air and a flow rate for the first vapor to obtain a gas mixture at approximately 30° C., and controlling the flow rate for each to maintain the gas mixture at the correct temperature.

In an aspect of the present invention, the vapor is mixed with ambient air by directing it along a helical path through the mouthpiece of the device to create a vortex.

In an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the temperatures is a boiling point of a compound. Since vapor pressure inside the cartridge may be different from atmospheric air pressure, a pressure sensor may be present to measure the vapor pressure of the liquid pressure and to adjust the temperature accordingly so that the boiling point of the desired compound is maintained.

In an aspect of the invention, at least one of the cartridges is a standard 510 cartridge.

In an aspect of the invention, a touchscreen is provided to enable a user to interact with the vaporizer.

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the present invention may be used with any vaporizable liquid substance. While the below embodiment discloses the use of the present invention with cannabis, the present invention is not limited to cannabis. Any vaporizable liquid substance that comprises multiple compounds that have different boiling points is usable with the present invention. The below disclosure describes the use of the present invention with cannabis only as an illustration.

A significant advantage of the present invention is that it enables a user to dynamically adjust vapor composition using the same liquid substance in the same cartridge during a use session. Cannabis contains many active compounds and they have different boiling points. A non-exhaustive list of some representative sample cannabinoids and their boiling points is presented below:

Cannabis also contains varying terpenes, which also have therapeutic and psychoactive effects. A non-exclusive list of the terpenes contained in cannabis and their boiling points is summarized below:

As can be seen from the above tables, there are many different compounds present in cannabis and they have radically different boiling temperatures. Thus, heating the same cannabis-containing liquid substance to different temperatures, or to a particular variation of temperatures, will result in radically different vapor compositions from the same substance.

Furthermore, some compounds, such as cannabinoids, can withstand a higher temperature than their boiling points. However, terpenes, which are plant oils that give cannabis its taste and smell, cannot withstand higher temperatures. Thus, vaping at a lower temperature will produce a vapor with more terpenes and a more perfume-like flavor, while vaping at a higher temperature will produce a vapor with more THC and CBD and fewer terpenes. The temperature may be adjusted during a vaping session to dynamically alter vapor composition.

In an embodiment, the present invention may be a dual (or multiple) cartridge system. This enables the user to be even more flexible about dynamically adjusting vapor composition. For example, each cartridge could comprise a different extract formulation with different percentages of active compounds such as THC and CBD. Each cartridge preferably has its own heating element that can be set to a specific temperature that produces the desired ratio of active compounds. Mixing the vapor from each cartridge allows the user to dynamically adjust vapor composition in a very flexible way during a use session.

The most commonly used cannabinoids, CBD and Δ9THC (which is commonly referred to as simply THC), have very different effects on the human body and brain. THC is a psychoactive constituent of cannabis that attaches itself to endocannabinoid receptors in the brain, located in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia; these are the parts of the brain responsible for thinking, memory, pleasure, coordination, and movement. It can be used for treating spasticity and chronic pain in various neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. CBD is devoid of psychoactive activity, and has multiple analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic, and chemopreventive activities. It can be used to inhibit cancer cell invasiveness and metastasis as well as treating seizures associated with many different conditions. Since these two compounds are different in their effects and purposes, many medicinal cannabis formulations have a precise ratio of THC to CBD, and it is very important to maintain such a precise ratio in vapor as well.

Some patients may require a different ratio of THC to CBD at different times of day or night, or in different situations depending on symptoms. For example, a patient may want more THC at night when they are about to go to sleep, and more CBD during the day when they simply want to relieve pain without any psychoactive effects.

Some patients may require a varying ratio of THC to CBD as their use session progresses; for example, a patient may want more CBD at the start of the session and then more THC at the end.

Terpenes also have an effect on the human body and brain and have a synergistic effect with THC, CBD, or both. For example, a-pinene inhibits the activity of acetylcholinesterase in the brain; therefore, it can aid memory and minimize cognitive dysfunction induced by THC intoxication. Further, it possesses antiseptic activity. β-myrcene increases the analgesic effects of THC and CBD by stimulating the release of endogenous opioids, as well as being an antioxidant and anticarcinogen. Limonene can boost the level of serotonin and dopamine, thereby inducing the anxiolytic, anti-stress, and sedative effects of the CBD. Caryophyllene is responsible for cannabis anti-inflammatory effects and provides gastroprotective, analgesic, anticancerogenic, antifungal, antibacterial, and neuroprotective effects. Many other terpenes have other varying effects on the human body and mind. It is to be understood that the above disclosure is not a limitation on the types of terpenes, or the types of substances in general, that could be covered by the present invention.

Overview of the Device

In an aspect of the present invention, a vaporizer is provided. The vaporizer may be used for administering different compounds through inhalation. While the present disclosure focuses on cannabis uses, it is not meant to be limited to cannabis. It may be used to administer nicotine or any other compounds that can be inhaled. The liquid or liquids to be vaporized is contained in cartridges. In an aspect of the invention, the cartridges are standard cartridges withthreading, though this is not required to practice the present invention.

One of the advantages of the present invention is that it enables a user to dynamically adjust the exact composition of the inhaled vapor during a use session or between different use sessions without swapping out cartridges. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, this is done by a touchscreen that enables a user to precisely control vapor composition during a use session or to set a predetermined program before a use session.

The present invention preferably connects directly to the cloud without requiring the intermediation of a mobile application. In an embodiment, this connection is established through the Internet of Things (IoT) protocol, which enables the device to consume and send data to a cloud server in real time. Thanks to this cloud connection, the device can be monitored and managed remotely. For example, the device could be monitored and managed by a medical provider. Also, the cloud connection enables the device to receive updates and enhancements seamlessly.

show three views of an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment of the vaporizerof the present invention comprises a mouthpiecethrough which vapor can be inhaled, a housingandcontaining the internal components of the vaporizer, a large touchscreensurrounded by a touchscreen bumper, an interaction button, a charger port, and two pogo pin holesandfor the charger station. The side view shown inshows the back side of the housing, the side air intake holesfor the flow control system of the present invention, and side holesfor sound propagation. The isometric view shown inalso shows the mouthpiece outlet.

shows the back view of an embodiment of the present invention.shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, with a magnified detail view as well, showing the mouthpieceremoved and a dual cartridgevisible. A rubber female fittingfor the ambient air conduit is shown as displayed. The front section view shows the male fittingfor the ambient air conduit, which connects to the female fittingwhen the mouthpieceis fully attached to the vaporizer. The ambient air conduit provides airflow of ambient air to the mouthpiece to mix with the vapor, as will be discussed below. The ambient air flows through ambient air conduit tubingwhich connects to a round slotto connect the tubing to the mouthpiece. A ambient air conduit valve seat bracketis used to hold the air flow control valvein place. Both vapor flow and secondary conduit airflow are controlled by endless screws; this enables very precise control. Main stepper rail bracketand secondary stepper rail bracketare used to hold the valves in place to prevent unwanted rotation. The vapor flow control valve is placed in a vapor flow control valve seatand the air flow control valve is placed in an air flow control valve seat. The valves are connected with wires. The cartridges are connected to power unit terminals.

The two cartridgesfit into a cartridge slotin the mouthpiece and cartridge slotin the housing. Magnetsandare used to attach the mouthpiece to the vaporizer when it is in use.

This embodiment shows a dual cartridge, comprising two cartridges connected together axially-a first cartridge and a second cartridge. More detail on the structure of the dual cartridge will be discussed below. Second cartridge power boarddrives power to a second cartridge and extracts data from both cartridges. The second cartridge power boardalso comprises connectors to the air flow control valve.

Three omniball pogo pinsare used to connect the second cartridge to the vaporizer; two of the pogo pins are used for data transmission, and the third is used as a positive power pin for the secondary cartridge.

Air intake filtersare mounted on the housing for the air flow system. Screw holesare used to attach the parts of the housing together. Side holespreferably also comprise filters.

The device is preferably powered by a lithium battery, preferably a 1500 mA LiPo battery with a high discharge current capacity.

The device preferably comprises at least one processor and memory that is sufficient to provide control signals for the present invention. In an embodiment of the invention, the device comprises two 240 MHz microprocessors that are constantly communicating with each other to maintain the balance of system operations. A first MCU manages Wi-Fi communication, Flash, and SD dies, and communicates with the embedded GPU that runs at 70 MHz through an 18-bit RGB interface. The second MCU manages all the operations related to inhalation, including data collection from the bank of sensors and control of the PID system.

shows a diagram of the hardware of an embodiment of the present invention. As mentioned above, the device comprises two 240 MHz microprocessors, MCU #1 and MCU #2. MCU #1 is connected to a storage memoryfor storing data and programs. It is also connected to wi-fi via a communication module, and connected to an embedded co-processor GPU. The embedded co-processor GPUcontrols the touchscreen, which, in this embodiment, is a 3.5″ super wide screen capacitive touch sensor. MCU #1 also communicates with the other microprocessor, MCU #2, which is the microprocessor responsible for controlling the vaporizer functions of the vaporizer. It is connected to a PID controllerfor controlling the temperature of the heating unitin the cartridge. The PID controllerdelivers a variable PWM signal to the heating unitto ensure that the correct temperature is maintained. The cartridge also comprises an encrypted EEPROM memory, which is also connected to the MCU #2. The MCU #2 is also responsible for receiving data from the sensors incorporated in the device. In an aspect of the invention, the sensors include a differential pressure sensor(for temperature compensation), an absolute pressure sensor, an ambient temperature sensor, and an accelerometer. The MCU #2 also controls the stepper controllersandfor controlling the flow of ambient air and vapor through the cartridge. Finally, the MCU #2 also is connected to the cryptographic co-processor engine and a battery gauge monitor. The cryptographic co-processor engine is used to encrypt the data stored on the device, since privacy and security of user data is of utmost importance in medical applications where a user's data is highly private. Since the device can store data locally, with strong encryption mechanisms, this ensures that user data is protected even in the absence of an Internet connection. In an embodiment, RSA encryption and secure https connections are used for communications with the cloud, and AES256 encryption of data is used for data stored within the device. In an embodiment, the unique key for each device is only known by the cloud server, not the device itself. This ensures that even if a device is lost or stolen, the data stored within it cannot be accessed. The cryptographic coprocessor within the device is responsible for storing all encryption keys and ensures that the device operates as a hardware accelerator, with secure hardware-based key storage. This is useful for patient privacy as well as for medical studies, since this feature ensures that medical data is protected against unauthorized access and tampering.

The first and second MCUs preferably communicate via a customized communications protocol that utilizes the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) of the two microcontrollers. This allows for quick actions in response to user feedback, and ensures the safety and reliability of the device.